Posts
Attendance
Europe’s Museums Are Open, but the Public Isn’t Coming
““We foresee huge losses for the next few years, and just a very slow return to normal. We expect that in 2024 we might be back to our normal visitor numbers. Financially, it’s quite …
6 Data-Tested Approaches to Building New Audiences
It’s safe to say that most museums would like new visitors. Visitors actualize museums’ missions, give them vibrancy as places of insight and connection, and contribute to their financial …
What It Means to Be a University Museum in the Twenty-First Century
These days, when I stop by the café at the Chazen Museum of Art, I often find myself in conversation with my University of Wisconsin–Madison colleagues—students, staff, and professors from …
Louvre’s visitor numbers drop as museum tries to limit overcrowding
The Louvre’s visitor numbers dropped to 9.6 million in 2019, following a record 10.2 million guests in 2018. The attraction is attempting to limit overcrowding, and is therefore welcoming …
Museum Pricing for Affordability and Profit
What does it cost to buy an airline ticket, book a rideshare service, or make a hotel reservation? Nowadays the answer to that question may vary minute-to-minute, as companies use data …
Transforming Data into Stories with the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers
Who visits our museums? What are their motivations, and what do they expect from the experience? Alternatively, who is not visiting, and why not? These are critical questions for the future …
The Fixer Upper Effect: Waco museums enjoy the ride (and try to learn the deeper meaning)
It’s Monday, November 5, at 1:01 pm. I’m headed to a meeting in downtown Waco, Texas. As I drive by The Silos, a retail space developed by Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, I am …
When it comes to museum attendance, it’s more than just a numbers game
London’s National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan considers the ways in which cultural institutions can measure their audience engagement and stresses that attendance figures …
Say Cheese! 3 Ways Museums Can Compete with Instagrammable Pop-Ups
This article is loosely based on a session panel that I facilitated at the 2018 New England Museum Association (NEMA) conference titled, “Let Me Take a Selfie: The Power of Photo Ops and …
Commerce vs. Curation: Lessons From Today’s Museums World
In this article, the author, Scott Reyburn examines the overlap between the financial operations of museums and their admissions alongside the role of curating permanent and special …
As Museum Attendance Declines, One Institute Argues Audience Engagement Is on the Rise
This article describes a finding from a recent report published by the National Center for Arts Research showing that while overall physical attendance to art museums might be declining, …
Back For More: Attracting Repeat Visitors to Single-Focus Museums
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2013 edition of Museum magazine. In 1955, the 68-year-old socialite and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post bought a 36-room …